It has been nearly four years since Texas hired Shaka Smart in hopes of returning the program to the level of success it enjoyed early in the Rick Barnes era, but that simply has not happened. With the Longhorns having missed the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, Smart seems to understand his days at Texas could be numbered.
While speaking with reporters on Tuesday evening, Smart admitted the seat underneath him feels rather warm these days.
For the first time, Shaka Smart acknowledged he's on a hot seat. "I know you guys have a job to do, if we don’t play up to expectations, that’s your job," Smart told reporters. "My job is to help them grow as players and block everything out."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) March 20, 2019
Texas has not won 20 or more games in a season since Smart took over in 2015. He has an overall record of 66-66 with the team and has not advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Those obviously aren’t the results administrators were hoping for when they hired Smart away from VCU.
Smart’s contract at Texas runs through the 2022-23 season, and it sounds like it would cost the school a lot of money to fire him. He has reportedly turned away interest from other top programs in recent years, but a 16-16 season isn’t going to impress anyone. That includes Smart’s bosses.
